Can veterans be buried in a national cemetery for free?

National cemetery burial is one of the most valuable benefits a veteran’s family has. A lot of families don’t use it, because nobody told them it was free.

What’s included at no cost

• A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
• Opening and closing the grave
• Perpetual care
• A government headstone, marker or medallion
• A burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate

Cremated remains are buried or inurned with the same honors as a casket. A spouse or dependent buried with the veteran also gets perpetual care, and their name and dates are added to the veteran’s headstone, again at no cost to the family.

Who’s eligible

• Service members who die on active duty.
• Veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Anyone who enlisted after September 7, 1980, or became an officer after October 16, 1981, generally needs 24 continuous months of service or the full period they were called up for, with some exceptions. Other-than-honorable discharges are decided case by case by a VA Regional Office.
• Some Reservists and National Guard members, including those entitled to retired pay (or who would be, except that they’re under 60), and those called to active duty who served the full term.
• Spouses and surviving spouses, even if they die before the veteran, and even if the veteran isn’t buried there. A surviving spouse who remarried a non-veteran is still eligible if they died on or after January 1, 2000.
• Minor children (unmarried and under 21, or under 23 if in full-time approved education), and unmarried adult children who became permanently unable to support themselves before 21 (or 23 if in full-time education).

Not eligible: former spouses after a divorce or annulment, other relatives, and anyone whose only discharge was dishonorable. Certain criminal convictions also bar burial.

What the family still pays for

The cemetery side is covered. The funeral side isn’t. In the VA’s words, any item or service obtained from a funeral home or cremation office “will be at the family’s expense.” That includes the funeral home’s services, embalming or cremation, the casket or urn, and any service before the burial. In some cases, the VA burial allowance repays part of these costs, including transporting the remains to a national cemetery. Many families don’t qualify for it.

Settle eligibility ahead of time

You can ask the VA for a pre-need eligibility determination for a veteran, spouse or dependent before anyone dies. It’s a decision on eligibility, not a reserved plot. It still saves your family a stressful step later. At the time of need, the funeral home or family contacts the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117.

Covering the part the VA doesn’t

A national cemetery covers the grave. A small final expense policy covers the funeral home bill, and it pays your family in cash. We’re an independent agency in Troy, Michigan, not the VA. Start with veterans’ options or call 586-343-1505.

Sources: VA National Cemetery Administration — burial benefits · VA National Cemetery Administration — eligibility